Peter Short, Perth – "The voice of West Papua must be heard, it has been silenced for 45 years", West Papua solidarity activist Ned Byrne told a crowd of 140 people who packed into Fremantle's Kulcha venue on January 31.
Organised by Project SafeCom and the Australian Greens, the "Free West Papua, Free the Refugees" public meeting was also addressed by Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, Jack Smit from Project SafeCom and Christmas Island refugee advocate Kaye Bernard.
Nettle was barely off the plane, having visited Christmas Island to meet with the West Papuan refugees. "This long, costly journey hides the ugly face of mandatory detention", she told the meeting. News of the many Australian protests and meetings of support gave the refugees great heart, Nettle said.
Bernard spoke of her struggles to assist the Vietnamese refugees imprisoned on Christmas Island in 2003. Bernard cited an example of the cruelty such detention entails: A pregnant Vietnamese refugee was repeatedly flown to the mainland for obstetric treatment. "She travelled about 20,000 kilometres – some kind of bizarre record for longest distance flown during a pregnancy." Smit said that human rights were being sacrificed to economic and political goals, highlighting the links between the Australian and Indonesian governments, and the business deals between the owners of West Papua's Freeport mine, the Indonesian military and some Australian companies.
Retired Dutch Air Force officer Kees Faas described his involvement in military activities in West Papua in 1961, and how his unit received last-minute orders from the Dutch colonial authorities not to repel invading Indonesian aircraft.
Byrne, a teacher and activist in the Australia West Papua Association, said that earlier in the day he had managed to speak by telephone with West Papuan activist Pastor Rom. Unable to escape themselves, Rom and his wife sent all their children on the boat to Australia.
Byrne said: "I asked: Why did you send your only 3 children on such a perilous sea journey? Rom answered: 'To save them from genocide – without the West Papuan people there can be no free West Papua'." According to Byrne, Rom described the situation in West Papua as "critical and dangerous, on the edge of war". Rom said there was a massive military buildup occurring, with tanks patrolling cities and towns. He claimed that the Indonesian army is establishing jungle encampments.
Byrne also said that Java-based right-wing militias were recruiting West Papuan youth – the same tactic as used by the Indonesian military in East Timor. "The West Papuan people have a vision for the future of West Papua", Byrne said. "The Indonesian regime has no vision for their future – only annihilation."